Once eager to prosecute Clinton, Christie wants "deep breath" for Trump

President Donald Trump has reportedly disclosed classified intelligence from an ally, without approval, to Russian leaders and is said to have asked the former FBI director to drop an investigation into his campaign. And that has put Gov. Chris Christie, one of Trump’s most ardent defenders, in a potentially awkward position.

Christie, like many other Trump loyalists, condemned Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton during the presidential campaign for her handling of classified material on a private server while she was secretary of state. During the Republican National Convention last summer, Christie drew chants of "lock her up" from the crowd when he made a public case for her prosecution by laying out her alleged crimes and repeatedly asking, "Is she guilty or not guilty?"

But now Christie and other Trump backers face questions of how they can support a president who reportedly offered up sensitive material about an Islamic State terror plot to a tenuous partner in Russia and who may have interfered with a federal investigation involving those close to him.

What we know:Here's what we know about Trump's disclosing classified intel to Russian officials

Accusations:Democrats accuse Trump of obstruction of justice. Did he do it?

Stile:Christie and his complicated relationship with mentor Jim Comey

Christie, in particular, is caught between two worlds. He is a former federal prosecutor who worked for Jim Comey, the FBI director whom Trump fired last week, but was also one of Trump’s earliest supporters and has vigorously defended him through a multitude of controversies — most of Trump’s own creation — in the past 15 months.

On Wednesday, Christie either refused to answer questions concerning Trump’s recent actions or offered reasons why Trump’s situation is different from Clinton’s. This is how his past statements line up with what he says now. 

Handling classified information

Christie in 2015: “The reason she is being investigated by the FBI is because people who that do that kind of stuff, obstruct justice, and who mishandle sensitive, classified information should be investigated and should be prosecuted. If this Justice Department prosecuted David Petraeus and previous Justice Departments prosecuted Sandy Berger, you better be sure that they should be prosecuting Hillary Clinton and the president of the United States. She worked for him. He should hold her accountable.”

Christie on Wednesday: “First of all, I don’t know exactly what he revealed … Secondly, the president of the United States, there’s no debate about the fact that the president of the United States has the right to do that. There’s significant debate about whether the secretary of state has the right to do that. They’re two very different things."

Crowd Chants 'Lock Her Up, ' As Christie Slams Clinton at RNC

National security

Christie in 2016, after the FBI declined to recommend charges against Clinton: “As a former prosecutor, I'm stunned, given what I saw in the FBI files that were released Friday, that Hillary Clinton was not prosecuted.”

Christie on Wednesday, asked about Trump's reportedly offering up classified national security information: "I just don’t get into talking — especially about something as serious as what you’re talking about — into hypotheticals. There, I am sure, will be significant conversation on Capitol Hill and across the country about the events of a week ago today. And when we finally get definitive information about what was said, then we can have a much better read on what’s happening … it’s irresponsible for someone in my position, and with my background, especially, to speculate on something like that."

Obstruction of justice

Christie in 2015: “Mrs. Clinton deleted emails when she was under subpoena. You know, in my neck of the woods we call that obstruction of justice.”

Christie on Wednesday: “I’m the only person in this room, I think, who has prosecuted obstruction of justice cases and won them. They’re very difficult cases to prove, and you have to have very significant evidence of the state of mind of the person … so I’d ask everybody to take a deep breath before everybody jumps to conclusions.”

Jim Comey

Christie in 2015: “Jim Comey is a guy of extraordinary integrity … I know Jim Comey personally. I know him well. And I've seen him stand up before. You saw him stand up to the Bush administration in 2004 on some of the surveillance programs and threatened to quit if changes weren't made that he believed were right for the Constitution.

Christie on Wednesday: “I have great respect for Jim. And my view is, if Jim wants to be heard, Jim will be heard. He’s never been a shy guy, in my experience.”